A Saanich woman鈥檚 flower shop is back in business with the help of her son鈥檚 repurposed lemonade stand, but she says an outdated bylaw threatens to take down what has become a community hub.
Colleen O鈥橣arrell has owned Foxgloves Flowers in the Gorge area for nearly 20 years, and she鈥檚 operated out of her home for the last decade. When COVID-19 hit, she thought that was the end of her business, because 鈥渟uddenly all events evaporated,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o one鈥檚 gathering.鈥�
O鈥橣arrell received a flower shipment for an event that was cancelled and hated the thought of the flowers ending up in the compost bin.
She decided to arrange bouquets and offer to sell them by donation. She dusted off her son鈥檚 lemonade stand to display the bouquets and posted on Facebook that flowers were available to pick up.
The arrangements flew off the stand and were gone in a day, O鈥橣arrell said, so she kept the stand going. From it, a sense of community blossomed.
鈥淚t really has created a wonderful little community hub here,鈥� she said. O鈥橣arrell said the stand has led to some of the best conversations she鈥檚 had with neighbours in years, and she has gotten to know people in her community that she has never met in the 14 years she鈥檚 lived in the area.
Her business was thriving, until Saanich bylaw officers showed up last week. There had been a complaint about O鈥橣arrell鈥檚 stand and they said her retail activity on private property violated a Saanich bylaw.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always one thorn in every neighbourhood, I guess. Someone who doesn鈥檛 understand I鈥檓 just trying to feed my family. And if that means a flower farm stand, that鈥檚 what that means,鈥� O鈥橣arrell said.
She was given 30 days to shut down the stand.
O鈥橣arrell remembered hearing about Katherine Little, who fought the same Saanich bylaw last year to keep her jam stand open. She got in touch with Little through Instagram and found out they knew each other. O鈥橣arrell had provided the flowers for Little鈥檚 wedding several years ago.
The two have joined forces to petition Saanich to change the bylaw.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to break the rules. I want to change them,鈥� O鈥橣arrell said.
Little is happy that she can support O鈥橣arrell through the same bureaucracy that closed her stand nearly a year ago, and relieved to have someone join her fight.
鈥淲hen we went through it the first time we were very much alone,鈥� Little said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to be able to give some support to Colleen, because I know exactly what she鈥檚 going through.鈥�
Little鈥檚 stand still sits on her front lawn on Queensbury near Cedar Hill Golf Course, but the shelves are empty. That doesn鈥檛 mean she鈥檚 stopped selling her popular confections, though. Neighbours still knock on her door to request their favourite jams.
But she wants to stock the stand鈥檚 shelves once again and thinks that with COVID-19, it鈥檚 more important than ever to change Saanich鈥檚 bylaw.
鈥淲e need to remind ourselves that we鈥檙e still a community. We鈥檙e still a neighbourhood. Local will keep this world going. Everybody鈥檚 saying that now,鈥� she said.
Little is hopeful that renewed attention to the issue might finally bring about change for her, O鈥橣arrell and the many other Saanich farm stands that are still running but know they can be shut down with a complaint.
She feels as if Saanich council failed her last year.
鈥淭hey have a chance now to look like heroes, where last year they just didn鈥檛,鈥� she said.
Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers is working on a motion that she said will be a 鈥渂oot in the door鈥� to help O鈥橣arrell and Little keep their stands.
Chambers said changing the bylaw is complicated during the pandemic, because the municipality can鈥檛 hold a public hearing right now, but she hopes temporary change is possible.
鈥淭his is a perfect time to do this, because the COVID emergency acts as a pilot project, because there鈥檚 less cars on the road right now,鈥� Chambers said.
Mayor Fred Haynes said Saanich staff are examining how changes could be made to the bylaw without unintended repercussions, such as having a stand on every property and the increased traffic that could attract.
Increasing traffic on residential roads was one of the concerns raised when Little鈥檚 stand was shut down.
Work on the changes has been delayed due to the pandemic, but council planned to ask for an update from staff at Monday night鈥檚 council meeting.
Haynes said it鈥檚 too early to say whether the conversation will be different this time around, but the debate is now taking place against the backdrop of economic and social challenges due to COVID-19.
鈥淲e do see the hardship of COVID,鈥� he said.
If the bylaw is altered even temporarily, Little said her stand will be stocked immediately.
鈥淚t will be amazing to be able to do that again,鈥� she said.
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